At Home with Supermodel Karlie Kloss and Her Sisters

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The first time I interviewed Karlie Kloss, she was
fifteen and embarking on her debut season of
fashion shows. She met me at a café in Paris
with her uncle/chaperone Keith, and we
talked about her whirlwind over hot chocolate.
Karlie's dream then was to one day own
an apartment in Paris with a terrace overlooking the
city. Fast-forward five years: I'm sitting with Karlie,
her three sisters (Kristine, 23, and twins Kariann and
Kimberly, seventeen), and their mom in a restaurant
in the middle of Times Square. She now graces the
covers of multiple international Vogues on any given
month, is the new cohost (with fellow model Joan
Smalls) of MTV's relaunched House of Style, and, at
20 years old, is purchasing her first home. It's not in
Paris, but it is a townhouse and it's on one of the most
charming blocks in Manhattan's West Village.

"I never really moved into my last apartment,"
she says, referring to the one-bedroom New York City
rental she secured as a sort of crash pad in her early
modeling days. "I remember my mom and sister and I
basically went to a big warehouse store and we were
like, 'OK, we'll take this couch, that bed, those lights...'
and we put it all in an eighteen-wheeler. This time
around, I want to decorate and do it right. I'm excited
to make this place a real home."

Family and home have always been at the center
of Karlie's world. In fact, the Klosses relocated from
St. Louis, Missouri, to Goshen, New York, last year
to be closer to Karlie. Their compound in Goshen—
complete with five dogs, three cats, a rabbit, and a
horse ("We're just missing chickens," Karlie jokes)—is
ground zero for days by the pool, game and movie
nights, and family feasts. "We have this big kitchen
where everyone congregates," says Karlie. "My mom
is an amazing cook, and I like to bake."

Karlie is the middle child. Her older sister,
Kristine, recently graduated from college (during
which time she interned at Teen Vogue) and is now
helping her supermodel sister with brand extension
projects. Kariann and Kimberly (KK and Kimby for
short) are in their senior year of high school. Kariann
is a horseback rider and lacrosse player ("She's the
star goalie," says proud sis Karlie. "She's in the
newspaper all the time!"); Kimby plays softball
and has a thing for leopard-print anything. They
are currently planning college visits and, like most
seventeen-year-olds, still figuring out what they want
to do with the rest of their lives. Kariann may want to
be a vet (she has plenty of animals to practice on!).
Kimby isn't sure yet. As far as families go, the Klosses
are as all-American as it gets—with one great
exception: One of them is a world-famous model.

The sisters admit it took some time to adjust
to Karlie's new life. "I think it was hard for all of us
because we're very close," explains Kariann. "We
missed each other when she would travel for jobs."
Of course, it also opened up a new world to them.
"I've seen some of the places that you learn about in
school," says Kimby. "The South of France was
really fun." Karlie nods. "That was for a Chanel
show!" she says. "I didn't want to go alone, so I was
like, 'Kimberly, I'm kidnapping you. We're going to
Saint Tropez. I had to sneak her in. They were like,
'No boyfriends, no sisters, no one.' Kimberly was
hiding in my hotel room, like, 'Is the coast clear?
OK, let's go to the pool.' "

Karlie credits her family with helping to make
her career possible. "I feel very lucky," she says. "I
have an amazing support system. You guys are my
secret weapons." She adds: "We're all different. We
each have our own strengths."

How does Papa Kloss handle being the only
man in the family? "There's lots of drama—he's
learned to deal with it," says Karlie, laughing. "But
he's spoiled. He's surrounded by beautiful women!"

"I wonder who will get married first," says
Kristine. "Let me finish school first!" interjects
Kariann. I ask Karlie if she wants a big family of her
own one day. "That's something I've always wanted.
I don't know about you guys," she says, looking
around at her sisters, "but I just love the feeling of
coming home. There's always something going on,
someone cooking, someone running after a dog."

Her rise as a model has been stratospheric, but when Karlie Kloss wants to come down to earth, she need only head home.

The first time I interviewed Karlie Kloss, she was
fifteen and embarking on her debut season of
fashion shows. She met me at a café in Paris
with her uncle/chaperone Keith, and we
talked about her whirlwind over hot chocolate.
Karlie's dream then was to one day own
an apartment in Paris with a terrace overlooking the
city. Fast-forward five years: I'm sitting with Karlie,
her three sisters (Kristine, 23, and twins Kariann and
Kimberly, seventeen), and their mom in a restaurant
in the middle of Times Square. She now graces the
covers of multiple international Vogues on any given
month, is the new cohost (with fellow model Joan
Smalls) of MTV's relaunched House of Style, and, at
20 years old, is purchasing her first home. It's not in
Paris, but it is a townhouse and it's on one of the most
charming blocks in Manhattan's West Village.

"I never really moved into my last apartment,"
she says, referring to the one-bedroom New York City
rental she secured as a sort of crash pad in her early
modeling days. "I remember my mom and sister and I
basically went to a big warehouse store and we were
like, 'OK, we'll take this couch, that bed, those lights...'
and we put it all in an eighteen-wheeler. This time
around, I want to decorate and do it right. I'm excited
to make this place a real home."

Family and home have always been at the center
of Karlie's world. In fact, the Klosses relocated from
St. Louis, Missouri, to Goshen, New York, last year
to be closer to Karlie. Their compound in Goshen—
complete with five dogs, three cats, a rabbit, and a
horse ("We're just missing chickens," Karlie jokes)—is
ground zero for days by the pool, game and movie
nights, and family feasts. "We have this big kitchen
where everyone congregates," says Karlie. "My mom
is an amazing cook, and I like to bake."

Karlie is the middle child. Her older sister,
Kristine, recently graduated from college (during
which time she interned at Teen Vogue) and is now
helping her supermodel sister with brand extension
projects. Kariann and Kimberly (KK and Kimby for
short) are in their senior year of high school. Kariann
is a horseback rider and lacrosse player ("She's the
star goalie," says proud sis Karlie. "She's in the
newspaper all the time!"); Kimby plays softball
and has a thing for leopard-print anything. They
are currently planning college visits and, like most
seventeen-year-olds, still figuring out what they want
to do with the rest of their lives. Kariann may want to
be a vet (she has plenty of animals to practice on!).
Kimby isn't sure yet. As far as families go, the Klosses
are as all-American as it gets—with one great
exception: One of them is a world-famous model.

The sisters admit it took some time to adjust
to Karlie's new life. "I think it was hard for all of us
because we're very close," explains Kariann. "We
missed each other when she would travel for jobs."
Of course, it also opened up a new world to them.
"I've seen some of the places that you learn about in
school," says Kimby. "The South of France was
really fun." Karlie nods. "That was for a Chanel
show!" she says. "I didn't want to go alone, so I was
like, 'Kimberly, I'm kidnapping you. We're going to
Saint Tropez. I had to sneak her in. They were like,
'No boyfriends, no sisters, no one.' Kimberly was
hiding in my hotel room, like, 'Is the coast clear?
OK, let's go to the pool.' "

Karlie credits her family with helping to make
her career possible. "I feel very lucky," she says. "I
have an amazing support system. You guys are my
secret weapons." She adds: "We're all different. We
each have our own strengths."

How does Papa Kloss handle being the only
man in the family? "There's lots of drama—he's
learned to deal with it," says Karlie, laughing. "But
he's spoiled. He's surrounded by beautiful women!"

"I wonder who will get married first," says
Kristine. "Let me finish school first!" interjects
Kariann. I ask Karlie if she wants a big family of her
own one day. "That's something I've always wanted.
I don't know about you guys," she says, looking
around at her sisters, "but I just love the feeling of
coming home. There's always something going on,
someone cooking, someone running after a dog."

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Her rise as a model has been stratospheric, but when Karlie Kloss wants to come down to earth, she need only head home.